SonosRay - Compact Soundbar for TV and Music - Black

The minute I got this sound bar setup I was amazed how all my devices had instant access to it. My tv is connected via the Digital optical cable, but my laptop, iPhone, iPad, and stereo can also connect to it. I love how the sound is, for such a small device. It's lightweight, but puts out a heavy audio quality. I'll need to add some extra speakers to extend the sound outside my boat as well.

After heavily investing in the Sonos ecosystem, the expectation was that the Ray would be an easy setup and config in a guest bedroom, which it was. Great clarity of voice and pairs with Sonos Ace headphones easily.

Moved in with Mother-in-Law to because of her early stages of Alzheimers. She is also hard of hearing. Of course she does not think she has a hearing problem and does not want hearing aids. Because of her Alzheimers she would probably lose them and not be able to operate them either. She was turning the volume on the TV ip to, 50. 80, and 100. You could hear the TV throughout the whole house and it was a major health concern our ears as well as hers. I searched many different posdibilities. Most TVs and sound bars don't have Maximum Volume Limit setting. Also, we needed something where she did not have a separate remote. The Sonos Ray soundbar solved our problem. You can control the Maximum Volume, use an equilizer to cut fown loud base, and the have a setting so you can hear "speech" better It uses an optical input and does not need the HDMI ARC, or EARC. Her TV did have a setting so we could direct all the sound though the sound bar. The remote was easy to setup. You do have to have WiFi. The free Sonos app let's you make adjustment on your phone. Because of our situation, I did not need a sound bar that brings a lot of attention to itself with leds etc. On the Sonos soundbar, you can cut off the staus lights on the sound bar. The only other light was a small light in the front of the sound bar on the top center that flashes when adjusting the volume. I put a one inch piece of black electrical tape over that light. She has not even realized that anything has changed. She still feels independent an control of her surrondings. I set the volume woul go up reasonably loud but would not harm anyone's ears. The only different is the volume numbers that use to appear on the TV screen fo not show up. But, she can watch tv, adjust the volume, and we can now live in the same house and spend time with her without avoiding the headaches and ear pain. If anybody is listening, if TV manufactures would put a setting for customers to set maximum volume, it would help a lot of people anc the cost would be almost nothing. Our problem is solved!

All I wanted was a good quality soundbar for the 32" TV in my study. Hardware setup was straightforward, but I soon realized that I had made a questionable choice since the Ray doesn't have an HDMI port. I would not be able to use my Apple TV RF remote to control the volume. [EDIT: I have since been able to get IR volume control working]. Then the setup problems began. After fighting my way through the initial setup (more details below), and getting it to produce sound (ie via Apple TV) through the optical cable, the Sonos app says that it cannot detect any sound on the optical port. And that's where it goes off the rails. It will not complete the setup. I have to hit "Skip" to get through the rest of the sound setup steps (eg Disable TV Speakers) and then essentially abort the setup process. When I then tried to use the Sonos app to configure the sound for my room (TrueSomethingOrOther - which I now can't get back to), it just got stuck - wouldn't go forward or back. The only way out was to exit the app and wipe its saved state on the iPhone (swipe up). Lather, rinse, repeat. After deleting and reinstalling the app and logging back in, it no longer knew anything about my Ray soundbar. If I log into the Sonos website, it knows all about my Ray. Apparently, much of the trouble I am experiencing has to do with the soundbar not working well with my Unifi network. And yes, I tried the Sonos chatbot (total fail) and calling the 800 number (80 minute wait time!!!). Since posting the initial version of this review, I have become aware of the software issues related to Sonos recent software release. That seems to be the root of all my problems. The hardware is well made and sounds good.

The Sonos Ray is a solid upgrade to my TV sound, delivering clear audio and decent bass for its size. It was easy to set up and integrated well into my existing Sonos system, providing a much-needed improvement over the TV's built-in speakers. The compact design also fits nicely in my setup.However, software issues continue to be a frustration. As someone who has been with Sonos since the early days, I've seen my fair share of growing pains with their 2nd gen ecosystem. Unfortunately, I've had to scrap five first-gen units due to compatibility problems, which is disappointing for loyal customers. This Ray marks my 12th Sonos purchase, so I’ve stuck with the brand despite these setbacks.Overall, the Sonos Ray is a nice addition if you're looking for a better TV audio experience, but I wish the software and long-term compatibility were as reliable as the sound quality.Being a sonos customer is a bit like having a moody girlfriend—when she's happy, the world is wonderful, but when she's grumpy, it's an absolute pain in the behind!

Amazing design, sound quality is as good as it gets. Not the cheapest one, but for the quality its a good option.To use with a PC check the motherboard has an optical output.